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Research Station Sol-66
Research Station Sol-66 was a Federation black-ops science vessel that was spearheading studies and experimentation on the genetic structure and abilities of kitsunes. The station was ironically constructed under the guise of being a viral research station, and had only acquired two kitsunes to study, before it was struck by an unknown alien lifeform that carried a highly contagious pathogen that basically turned the scientists and staff aboard into 'zombies'. After the station was quarantined, a continuous distress signal was activated and was never shut off, giving the station the nickname of "Crying Child". Background Sol-66 was originally a deep space experimentation station, designed to evaluate and possibly harness the hypnotic and extrasensory abilities of a kitsune. Due to the extreme rarity of the kitsune gene, the Federation was only able to secure two kitsunes during the course of the station's history. One, named Ilia, was the primary subject, having more control over her abilities, while the second, Kai, was considered 'untamed' and was kept under heavy sedation for most of her time aboard the craft. Due to the highly classified nature of the research conducted, the inhumane conditions and experimentation was never brought to the attention of the Federation Department of Defense. The DoD and the Interstellar Intelligence Agency performed an audit on the station and was finally made aware of the conditions, and ordered that it be brought up to standard, or face a loss in budgeting and the termination of all research within. Within the month, the station had updated it's policies and had conformed to the requests of the DoD and the IIA. Meteor Collision In 2096, shortly after it's retrofitting, the station was caught in an unexpected meteor storm, and sustained minor damage from debris colliding into it. A request was made by the station to have a Navy destroyer respond to provide security, as well as destroy any inbound objects that could pose a significant risk to the station's structure. Mere minutes after the request was made, a large meteor collided with the primary body of the station, breaching the main elevator shaft and forcing the station to go on lockdown while containment fields deployed to prevent loss of atmosphere. Unbeknownst to the personnel aboard, the meteor held an unidentified alien lifeform, which was able to enter the station and engaged the personnel aboard. Security was quickly overwhelmed not just by the creature, but by it's victims, who became almost rabid shortly after making direct contact with it. It was determined that the creature bodily fluids, such as blood, saliva, and venom that coated it's claws, contained a pathogen that caused a number of fast-acting symptoms upon it's victims, including rapid deterioration of bodily systems, necrosis, aggression, and loss of higher brain function. It also made it's victims more resilient to normally fatal wounds, such as injuries to the heart and lungs. Because of the nature of the pathogen, individuals infected with it were given the term "zombies", or "necrotics", despite technically still being alive. More and more of the staff succumbed to the creature and it's pathogen, with more and more lockdowns being rendered ineffective due to the lifeforms strength and speed. The station's command staff initiated a total lockdown, despite standing orders to detonate the station's on-site nuclear warhead in the event of a catastrophic breach, and sent a distress signal to Navy Special Ops. The message was received, and due to the sensitive nature of the station, the Navy's elite FOX unit, was dispatched to investigate. Prior to the FOX teams arrival, the distress signal was intercepted by NANHI intelligence, and a shuttle of shock troopers deciphered the location of the station and boarded it, unknowing of the dangers inside. By the time they arrived, the necrotics had successfully breached the command bridge and had terminated or infected the surviving staff aboard. The troopers themselves also fell victim to the pathogen's victims, and were either killed, or infected. Hours after the boarding alert, FOX arrived at the station and began scanning for life signs. As the infected individuals aboard had a significantly decreased heart rate and body temperature, they were not detected in the scans, and as such, the unit assumed that all aboard the station were KIA. After briefing, the FOX unit decided to board the station and attempt to either recover any research drives and experiments, or detonate the warheads per protocol. Immediately upon boarding, they discovered the necrotics and engaged them. Out of all ten members of the unit, all but four of them were killed, with Crow Seetan and Richard Walker being two of the only survivors. Crow was wounded during the attack, but Walker and the remaining two members of FOX were able to recover him and escort him out to safety. Despite pleas from the unit to destroy the station, the DoD determined that the research aboard, which was still classified, was considered detrimental, and ordered a quarantine be placed until the Federation could identify the pathogen, create an antidote or vaccine for it, and perform another operation to recover the research within. The event led to the creation of a specialized unit of the Marine Corps under the 8th Marine Special Operations Battalion, called Task Force 141, to provide security for the station and it's immediate sector, as well as the dissolution of FOX, as it's members were either killed, or no longer wished to continue service with the unit, citing gross negligence from the DoD for allowing the station to remain with the lifeform and pathogen aboard. Since then, the damaged communications array for the station emits a constant distress signal, which comes up as a high pitched whine on most frequencies, which has caused personnel to coin the station as "The Crying Child". NANHI Invasion of the Child In 2110, during the NANHI Crisis, TF141 ceased contact with Federation Command, prompting them to deploy reinforcements to the area. As the FNV Hyperion was the closest vessel (it was in the station's sector to investigate the broken down star ship of Alyxz Marenwolf in restricted space), she was given the orders to investigate. Upon arrival, they confirmed the presence of a second NANHI starship, which had boarded the TF141 station that orbited with the Child. Upon entering the station, they Seetan and Richards were engaged by the necrotics once more, but as they had considerably upgraded weapons since their last operations aboard the station, they were more successful, working their way to the main labs. They encountered a number of necrotics, some of them having mutated throughout the years, and ended up briefly overwhelmed, before Marenwolf arrived, assisting them in securing Ilia, and escaping. Unbeknownst to them, Kai had already been recovered by NANHI. Upon returning with Ilia to the Hyperion, a confrontation arose between the officers and current Secretary of Defense Albus Geralds, who had arrived with the FNV Sisko, and demanded that Ilia be turned over to him. Seetan refused, as he was under orders to return her to Navy Command on Mars, and believed that Geralds had an ulterior motive. Geralds left shortly afterwards, and staged an attack, claiming that the Hyperion had become infected. The Hyperion was crippled by the Sisko, preventing communications from being sent, and she was forced to collide with the station, allowing the alien lifeform and some necrotics to board her. Although the crew attempted to secure the vessel, Walker, who had been injured by the lifeform as it attempted to breach the bulkhead doors to the bridge, made the decision to sound a general alarm, and order the immediate evacuation of the ship. He claimed to have activated the self-destruct sequence for the starship, but in reality, had overrun life support, and pumped a significant amount of oxygen and nitrogen into the air of the vessel, which ignited after the Sisko fired at her and 'purged' the ship of all necrotics aboard, including the lifeform. The explosion that followed also destroyed the Child, breaking it apart. By 2115, the remains of the Child were collected, pulverized and condensed, and have been secured in sealed containers, before being deposited on a Biohazard Waste Disposal site on Pluto, where they await solar incineration.